First posted from 2024-02-27 to 2024-03-10
A Discord server I’m in is running a
Try Something New event in April/May. And because it’s already February and I don’t have any projects to finish
at all, I threw myself into the Art of Fanbinding…
It took a little of experimenting to get my printer to print the right way. (It would flip the second page.) Which is why my first attempt at sewing has huge fucking numbers randomly upside down and downside up all over. I just re-used the pages, because I dislike wasting paper.
Behold! My super professional awl!
I saw this suggestion in a half-sentence. And since I’m just starting out, I refuse to spend money on equipment
yet.
I’m very excited about this whole project, though.
Update 2024-02-29I’ve shied away from quarto for a few days, but sat down today.
Turns out it’s not nearly as complicated as it looked. Yes, it’s called Quarto, not Quatro as I first had memorised.
Coptic Binding
I went looking for cardboard on the attic, didn’t find cardboard I could use as book covers, but I found an old Sudoko block. That shall now become multi-signature practising.
I’ve started with Coptic stitch and failed hard the first time round. I blame the thread. Too thin and flimsy and too long.
Such loose…
Thus, I opened it and retried with a little thicker threat. Still not perfect, but a lot better.
Next, I shall try Japanese stab binding.
Japanese Stab Binding
Today, it was Japanese Binding time.
This was fun! I really want to experiment more with this and also be able to do fancy stitches!
I’ve also attempted the hemp leaf stitch, which… was not as much fun. Had to redo it a few times…
Double Coptic Stitch
I’ve decided to go on with exercises by creating notebooks from whatever old drawing papers I found on the attic. For now, I’m using up a yellowed drawing block from GRD times.
I’ve tried rounded needles and for Coptic, those are really good. I’ve got to find more, because right now I only have a smallish one, a big one and a HUGE one.
The stitch would look better with a little thicker thread, so you could see the knots and loops better.
Single Signature Booklet
And then I continued with another little practise of sewing on signature into a cardboard cover.
Again, I’m sure this would look better with colours and a little thicker threads.
It’s also time to decide on the format and binding of my actual project.
Secret Belgian Criss Cross
I thought I had settled on what to do for my
Fanbinding — Shin Zagreus, but then I thought: Why not try the Secret Belgian stitch? (You know, just because it sounds awesome.)
This one took a while, I should have put the holes further apart and punched less of them… My shoulders did not appreciate this.
You start by sewing the spine and covers together and then sew the signatures onto the inside threads on the spine. Do not do this with unwaxed thread. There’s one knot I couldn’t untangle hidden somewhere on the red thread and the yellow needed a lot of untangling and unknotting as well.
The covers can be turned all the way onto the back.
Cover Experiments
I’m not sure what to do about the book cover for
Fanbinding — Shin Zagreus, so I did some experimenting with thick-ish sketch paper and some wrapping paper I had found in a random cardboard box on the attic.
A little cutout:
And something beneath the cover paper to give a raised motif:
Needs proper cardboard in the back.
!
